San Gabriel police outline ‘special alert’ sticker program to flag residents with special needs

San Gabriel police on Tuesday presented a voluntary “special alert” sticker program that would provide residents who request support — and whose family members or caregivers complete an application — a free sticker for a home or vehicle and store the applicant’s information in the department’s computer‑aided dispatch (CAD) system.

Police said the program is intended to let dispatchers and officers know, at the time of a stop or a house call, that someone at the address or in the vehicle may have special needs, so responders can alter their approach and reduce misunderstandings. “Once they return it to us, we will provide them with a free special alert program sticker,” said Officer C of the San Gabriel Police Department. “...we would enter the data into our computer aided dispatch system, where it is secure and only accessed through police personnel.”

City council members asked how the information would be shared and how residents would learn about the program. Council member Herrera Avila asked whether the application would create a database “where…it's prompting like if we get a particular address it's prompting us and saying, okay, this person, there's a special alert for this person.” Officer C replied that the information entered on the application would appear in the CAD so dispatchers could advise officers responding to calls with the details supplied by the applicant.

Staff said outreach will include social media posts coordinated with the city public information officer, translated materials in multiple languages, the city magazine, flyers distributed to the San Gabriel Unified School District and partnerships with local nonprofits such as the Asian Youth Center and the Chinese Service Center. Officers emphasized the department’s goal of community engagement, describing the sticker as one tool to “provide safer interactions with our vulnerable individuals, faster and more informed response in emergencies” and to “reduce the potential for misunderstanding or conflict.”

No formal vote was taken on the presentation. Council members expressed support and gratitude to police and community partners for advancing outreach plans. The council then moved on to other agenda items.

The program’s implementation details — including who is eligible, the exact data fields collected on the application, data retention, and any privacy safeguards beyond the CAD access statement in the presentation — were described by staff but not fully codified during the meeting; those specifics were not specified in the staff presentation and may be finalized through administrative procedures.